The returning Fantasy
by Magister of OZ
Summary: Jaune arc returns home, still recovering from shock from beacon's fall. His mother takes note of his behavior. She has seen this before. First rwby fic.


**A new oneshot. It has always been in my mind that jaune arc was related to cloud strife, thanks college fool. And considering what has happened, I would be interested in how his life is response. Also why he would help with ruby at the end**

 **I'm sorry for the hiatus, it's just I had lost the passion to write stories in my free time with school and the likes... but that'll soon change. I have greatly underestimated L and his ability to pull audiences. It was overwhelming. I'll do better next time... whenever that may be. Enjoyed!**

 **Putting this both in regular rwby fanfiction and in crossovers to get people to actually read this. Don't worry, only a oneshot and if any ooc, please tell me. 1st time writing angst and rwby/final Fantasy ... ready for the trainwreck? Let's jam**

* * *

He calmy walked the dirty familiar streets. Inside he was dying. The school he worked hard to keep up with had fallen, the team that rivaled his own had disbanded, and his own was a chair that lost it's 4th, and strongest, leg. He walked home ashamed to considered himself a huntsman, a hero.. ozpin is missing, Blake disappeared, Weiss was taken away, yang was handicapped, ruby is in a comatosed state, ren and Nora went back to the orphanage, and... his partner..

He bit his lip, he failed her. He failed her by being too weak, she knew this. That's why she stuffed him in the locker, because he would of ran to his death alongside her, had he stayed. And the feelings in his chest...

He placed a hand over his heart. Did she really like him, a loser who snuck into a place he had no business being in, a coward, a complete and utter fool... had she really held feelings for him? He shook his head, bringing that up won't hide the fact that she's gone now. Gone and won't ever come back...

It was a good day to rain...

* * *

(18 years prior)

The former soldier sighed as cradled 1 year old aerith, his wife had once more gone into labor. She really wanted a boy and after 7 attempts, they had succeeded bringing a little boy partially into this world. He smiled, the boy would be want they wanted. A fresh set of eyes, no more hunting monsters or battling wannabe deities. A person in his bloodline who won't live the life of the warrior like him or his ancestors... and those on zacks side of the dna.

A nice calm boy, no emotional issues, no higher purpose except living, and no evil slaying.

What could go wrong?

* * *

(Present)

He looked up to his home, the bar his mother owned. The famed "7th heaven" bar, and old home base of the ex-enviromentalest terrorist group, avalanche. He was so screwed the moment he knocked on that door. Taking a minute or two to compose himself, he took a deep breath and calmy tapped the door. A few moments of silence before heard footsteps, an annoyed voice opened the door "You drunken idiots, we're closed on sunda-a-a-" the voice kept voicing the vowel as she stared at the blonde in front of her. Reddish-brown meeting sky blue

The door slams open and a woman pulled the boy towards her in a bone crushing hug. She wore a slim fitting black outfit with white tee underneath and black shoes and earrings. And by no means am I exaggerating when I mean 'bone crushing'

The teen struggled to breathe as he was being smothered by his own mother "I-can't-breathe!" Did she hear this? Probably not "Did you know how worried I was?! You disappeared in nothing with no note and now, a year later you decide to come back!" She disengaged the hug and held him at a arms distance "Why?.." he just looked down, not wanting to bring that up. She sighed "Come on, before you catch a cold." She led him in, leading him a table she just cleaned "Just.. collect your bearings, I'll always be around.. " she gave him a soft look "If you wanna talk, jaune." He gave her a half look before closing his eyes and nodding, "Okay" before taking off his book bag and flipping it on the the table, looking inside

She sighed, he was too much like his father

He quietly took out the few things he had removed from beacon as it was overrunned. A small banner that read on one side 'Go team rwby!' The other 'Go team jnpr!'. An extra set of gloves, a small gift for his 18th birthday from ren, a plush sloth to protect him in the night from nora, a 1st edition of xray and vav from.. pyrrha, a friendship bracelet from ruby, a guide to dust for dummies from weiss, a book titled 'Avalanche: The fall of shinra' ,a horribly inaccurate account of his parents, aunt and uncles adventures, not one mention of cross dressing or meteors*scoff*, from blake. Yang did not give him a physical gift, rather she took something from him, his 1st kiss.

He gave a small amused smile that quickly flatlined before mom could see it. Looking back, it was pretty obvious of pyrrha to start firing rounds at yang because of personal reasons. Though he doesn't get why ruby also joined the fray, merely saying 'Don't toy around with my 1st friend like that!'. He would never understand

He pulled out some clothing to finally take out a small circlet of bronze plating and emeralds. Pyrrha's headband. The only thing left of her beside her broken weapon and sheild. Mister qrow took her weapons to her family, missing the headband. He believed it to be lucky, he had something else to remember her by...

A hand held out a napkin to him, surprising him out of his stuper "Jaune, honey.. you're crying." His mother said with a face of concern. He blinked and touch his face 'Right... inside' he sighed and took the napkin, wiping his face

She sighed as she looked over the nicknacks he brought "Jnpr?" She mouthed "pronounced juniper, mom." Jaune said cleaning one eye really good

'A team name? That sounds like complete trouble... wait, jnpr sounds fami- Ooh...' She looked at him "The same jnpr that completed in the vital festival?" He winced, for the harsh glare of his mother and also the mere mention of that festival... where everything went wrong

He nodded "The same from beacon Academy?... in vale of all places?!" His lips quivered, the once proud school flashed in his mind. And it was on fire. Scattered bodies. And some that were never discovered.. He nodded, hair covering his eyes

She took note of his posture, remembering her husband. Way too alike.

She calmy rubbed the hair from his to see him crying, her heartstrings pulled at the sight. "It's okay," she whispered "You're safe.."

He continued to sob, he was safe... that was none of his concern. His mother kept a soft glance to him, upset seeing this, she looked at the items on the table and caught glimpse of a photograph: containing her son, one other boy and plenty of girls around them. Are they friends? She smiled, at least he wasn't alone. She sawed a tall redhead looking at her son in the picture , phyrra something or whatever-pumpkin Petes cereal spokesgirl!

She took note of the headband on her table looked eerily like the one she was wearing. A memento? Wouldn't she need it unless... please let her instinct be wrong.

* * *

(Later)

It wasn't. The silence brought by her son doing a fine impression of his father forced her to turn on the tv, on the news, as they talked of the casualties of beacon.

Whoops

Jaune has been in his room, completely quiet, she wasn't sure if he was sleeping or just wanted complete quiet. He wasn't dead, as the empty trays of food outside his room has told her. She contacted her husband and daughters of his arrival. Her seven daughters merely responded with 'I'll be right there', her husband told her he'll be unable to be there until a week from now. Apparently the turks and rufus shinra were still bugging him to join their ranks and he was asked by a 'Qrow' for a recon mission. He still couldn't turn down helping others in need. She sighed as looked at the calendar, it was fall. She wondered if he'll come back out of this

* * *

(Later)

Her daughters arrived in a frenzy to see their little brother. All with high aspiring careers and they just dropped whatever they were doing to come back home. Her eldest, lightning commented she would rather be cheering up her baby brother than working on her next smut novel 'Ninjas of love: advent children'

They took no care in him wanting to sulk alone, usually dragging him (literally) out of his room. They engaged in conversations with him and made him watch sappy soap operas with them, like when they were younger.

The progress was extremely slow, as he would merely respond with one word answers and would stare blankly at nothing. That was to say they wouldn't still try, after hearing what happened, they knew he needed them more than he would admit.

They won't lose him to his own mind

* * *

Dinner ran late, all the girls were pooped from trying to help jaune and we're sleeping everywhere that wasn't a bed. Tifa smiled, while cleaning the counter of 7th heaven after closing hours, jaune being only one awake was helping wipe the tables down.

He still wouldn't smile, content with making a blank face at everything. At least it was better than him all sad and moping

While in her thoughts, she didn't notice a glass hanging close to the edge until it fell to the ground. This caught both their attentions. "Aw damnit," tifa rubbed her head "Jaune, mind going to the attic? Pick up another few glasses, I'll clean up here."

He nodded "Okay then." And went up the stares to the attic

Tifa sighed, hoping for something to snap him out of his funk.

* * *

Jaune scanned the dusty upstairs for any spare glasses.

He appreciated what everyone was trying to do, but he really just wants some time to think. To establish how he should help others, being as weak as he is. He would function good enough to be a meatshield at most. A distraction... it should've been hi-!

As he was sulking, he didn't see himself walking into a cabinet. He stepped back rubbing his nose. "Oww," the cabinet was partially open "what's even in this piece of junk?" He opened to find pictures and an old uniform

Curiosity bit him again as he looked at the pictures: some held younger versions of his parents, his surrogate brother and sister Daniel and marlene, some of his aunt and uncles, and also quite a few of a woman he had never seen before with brown hair and in pink with small subtitles along the frame 'r.i.p'

Jaune sighed. This was not very uplifting in the slightest. More references to death? Can't have a break can he?

A voice sighed "Dilly Dally, shilly shally." Jaune blinked and turned around to the voice of his mother, her arms on her hips "Um... what?"

She smiled "Something I told your father when he was gloomy too, I just wanna prevent you from going through that type of phase." He just scoffed "I see," He looked over the pictures "Why'd you come up?"

She walked close to him "you've been up here for half an hour sweetie." She kneeled on the ground along with him "Now isn't this nostalgic?" She pulled up a picture and showed it to jaune, of his father in his cross dressing outfit. He thought dad destroyed all of those. Though he had to admit, his dad looked quite fine in a dress.

He sighed "you've been through alot, all of you," He pulled up a picture of all of his uncles and aunt(s) together "Uncle barret, uncle cid, uncle vince, aunt yuffie..." he smiled sadly "You're all strong..."

His mother put a hand on his shoulder "You're pretty strong too." He scoffed "I came crying home in shame, nothing too strong there. Maybe strongly patheti-" Tifa seriously has had with the men in her family being all angsty, so she did what she does whenever cloud gets in that mood.

She punched her son in the face.

Not too hard, mind you. Just enough to send him across the room into a wall... okay a little too hard

Jaune crashed into the wall face first and fell back, clutching his face. He bit his tongue, if he didn't pyrrha might probably be able to hear it. "Yeouch..." he hissed in pain quietly as he could "what the actual hell mom?!"

She simply crossed her arms "Your emo was showing." "Still isn't a reason to punch me.." he rubbed his face carefully

She shrugs "I've done worse for less." She walked over and picked up by the hood of his jacket. "I don't even wanna ask.." he says glumly

She giggles, a little like his father isn't he? "Jaune, I love you so much," He turns away, red "It's hurts to see you depressed like this, barely alive but not dead," she gave a hug not to rough "It's saddening. For everyone. Maybe even for your friends too."

Jaune blinked. His friends? He didn't know about blake or yang, Weiss probably dispising him, but the others? Ren and Nora had always had each other, but looked at him as another brother, would they want their 'fearless leader' so down in the dumps? Ruby, his first friend from beacon? The one one who comforted him about the situation about cardin and forever falls? Would she approve of her fellow leader giving up all hope of happiness? Pyrrha... he started shaking, would she want him to spend the time she sacrificed for him to sulk in self-pity? Barely Alive or dead?

His mother let go, causing him to look up to her retreating form "I'll close up the bar, you can take a break," she looked back and smiled "Clear your head, make yourself lighter." She walked back downstairs

Jaune simply stared for a moment before closing his eyes "Dilly Dally... shilly shally..." he looked up to see the old uniform.

It would do him good to lighten up, maybe?

* * *

(The next morning )

Tifa and the girls awoke to find once again, jaune had disappeared. Tifa placed a hand to her forehead while sitting down. What was he pulling this time?

"Hey Mom!" Her 19 year old daughter aerith holding a piece of paper, catch all their attentions "I found it on the kitchen table.."

Tifa took the paper and read aloud:

 _"Mom, sis's. I'm heading out again, I may not be as strong or powerful as my friends or even you guys, but I really couldn't live sulking any longer when I can help my friends in their time of need. That isn't what a hero does._

 _..._

 _"Mom, I'm taking your advice. It's time for me to be a little lighter."_

 _Signed, Jaune_

 _P.s. tell dad I'm sorry but I took his old uniform. I wreckked my old armor fighting grimm in vale during the outbreak_

tifa sighed but smiled. Just like 'im

* * *

A young figure walked through vast woods with determination. Wearing indigo colored pants and similarly colored sleeveless shirt, held together with a thick leather belt. The figure was wearing gauntlets and fingerless gloves, his shoulders each having two pauldrons covering them. A band on his arm saying SOLDIER, on his belt held a familiar white transforming shield-sheathe holding an immortal sword. His back carrying a pack full of supplies for his journey to ruby's home in patch,.making a small detour to pick up ren and nora. Speaking of which...

The figure stopped and looked over his map, running his hand through his yellow hair, he chuckled "I'm totally lost here..."

Somewhere, a brunette and a redhead looked to the teen and giggled while a dark haired man smirked while crossing his arms "Yeah, they're screwed."

"Zack!"

"Don't say that about my jaune like that!"

"What?! It's true!"

* * *

H **And cut. That wasn't too bad, right? *hears absolute silence* yeah, I thought so too... *sighs***

 **So... I'm technically back though I honestly never left, and had slightly improved my story telling skills ever so slightly. Still not good or anything but decent. At least it's better than 'suddenly vegeta!'**

 **I have a confession to those who follow my stories. I... kinda don't have the passion to finish em. My death note story wasn't supposed to be more than those 3 chapters and it was honestly a spur of the moment type thing. My ed goes to different series for Alphonse stories were fun at first, but I got burned out really fast with those. I might work on em, I might not. Just have to wait and see.**

 **Readers, have a good day. Read rate and review and I'll see you next time. Creative criticism is always appreciated, though don't be too hard about it. We cool? We're 'Weiss' cold? Eh? Eh? I'm gone.**


End file.
